UAE Team Emirates has confirmed that promising Mexican rider Isaac del Toro tested positive for COVID-19 at the Vuelta a Espana but will be able to continue racing.
Del Toro currently sits in 36th place overall. His teammate Joao Almeida was forced to withdraw from the race after Stage 8 after testing positive for COVID, but UAE Team Emirates said del Toro’s infection level is not high as he has a low viral load and is not showing any COVID-related symptoms.
UAE doctor Jason Suter told Cycling News that the team was continually re-testing its athletes and would “make a different decision” if del Toro’s symptoms or condition changed.
“He tested positive for COVID. First he tested negative, then he tested positive,” Suter told Cycling News ahead of Stage 10 in Padrón.
“But we did a PCR test, which is something that basically looks at infectivity and viral load, and we looked at something called a CT score, and his CT score was high – high is a good thing, it means less infectious, lower viral load.”
“More importantly, we look at the symptoms of the rider. If the rider has no symptoms – no increased heart rate, no decreased heart rate variability, no decreased body temperature – then it is safe to ride.”
A similar situation occurred at the 2022 Vuelta a España with Juan Ayuso, who tested positive but was asymptomatic and able to continue the race. At this year’s Tour de France, the Spanish rider also tested positive but was too unwell to continue and had to return home.
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“If that [Del Toro’s condition] “If at any time there are changes we will make different decisions,” Suter said, “so we re-evaluate every day, we re-test every day and we make new decisions every day based on what is in the best interest of the teams and, more importantly, the riders.”
“We’re following all the basic hygiene protocols to make sure that the risk of infection for everybody is minimized,” he said, listing measures such as “obviously everyone being in separate rooms, masks, hand sensitizers, separation in terms of distancing, areas that certain riders can and can’t go to.”
The UAE are not the only team with COVID-19 cases at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, with Laurens de Plus (Ineos Grenadiers) and Harold Martin (Astana Kazakhstan) also withdrawing for the same reason.
While acknowledging that the del Toro incident was a blow to the team, Suter said: “It’s always a concern, but it’s something that affects the whole team, it’s not just about us. But because we’re a high-profile company, when information comes out it tends to be scrutinised more closely.”
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